Police report they have established evidentiary foundation for a case alleging fraud and breach of trust in dozens of cases of marriage registration in the Haifa Religious Council.

An Israel Police statement to the media reports investigators are wrapping up their work following a probe of alleged illegal activity in the Haifa Religious Council.

Tzohar Rabbonim has recently come out pointing a finger of discrimination against officials in the Haifa Religious Council, who they alleged regularly find issues with members of the Ethiopian community wishing to register for marriage. According to police investigators, the alleged illegal actions of council officials impacted over one hundreds couples seeking to register to get married. Officials filed false statements and documents and abused their civil service post to block couples from getting married.

During the investigation police questioned two senior officials in the marriage registration unit ‘under warning’, which generally signifies police have gathered sufficient evidence to move ahead with a criminal indictment.

According to the police findings, the allegations made by Tzohar are indeed based in fact and couples wishing to register for marriage were prevented from doing so as council officials fabricated ‘problematic halachic’ issued that prevented them from moving forward. Many of the candidates were listed as ‘pasul’, not suited to get married by the Chief Rabbinate.

Police have handed their findings to the prosecutor for evaluation.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)